Once upon a time, 20 years ago, I bought a little house on the east side of Los Angeles. I saw the possibility in the hills beyond Hollywood just as the hipsters started moving in next to the gangsters. This was 2003 Echo Park, pre-multi-million-dollar fixer upper-bungalows and pre-2008-crash low interest rates. It was the perfect time for me to buy. I am grateful to have been able to rent out my 1912 hill house to cover the mortgage when I left for more posh places around town during different stages of my life. Watching the neighborhood and famous lotus laden lake bloom to its current cool has been a consistent joy I wouldn’t give up for the 4-times the price my house is worth now. However, when I crave some 5-star shopping and leisure, Beverly Hills is where I want to be. So, I simply roll 10 miles west down Sunset Boulevard to my home away from home: The Maybourne Beverly Hills.
“Beverly Hills – That’s where I want to be.” – Weezer
Dedicated to luxurious wellbeing, The Maybourne Beverly Hills is the definitive Beverly Hills escape. Upon arrival, the front desk staff is immediately friendly and accommodating. A bellman whisks away my Gucci overnight cases as a well-tailored ambassador escorts me to a complimentary coffee in The Maybourne Café while my room receives some finishing touches. Their new Rest and Retreat offer includes Terrace accommodations with unique art, bespoke furniture, king-sized bed, 600 thread count Egyptian cotton bed linen, spacious bathroom with oversized bathtub, walk-in rain shower, integrated TV, twin basins, rejuvenating bath products, and a Dyson supersonic hairdryer.
Plus:
- Maybourne mini-fridge featuring revitalizing lotions and potions.
- Complimentary bottled waters and welcome fruit
- Minibar stocked with Californian treats including complimentary soft drinks
- In-room movies & VOD and streaming capability from your personal devices
- Complimentary access to thousands of digital newspapers and magazines
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
Rest and Retreat packages also include:
- Choice of: Private 60-minute workout session with a personal trainer or a privately guided 2-hour hike.
- Massage, facial, or treatment of choice (spa credit valued up to $250)
- $95 daily customized breakfast credit
- Complimentary overnight valet car parking for your vehicle
- Complimentary 12pm check in and 3pm check out subject to availability.
- A Los Angeles wellness map with the area’s top hiking trails, farmer’s markets, beaches and more…
- And – The Maybourne Beverly Hills Frette bathrobe monogrammed with your initials to take home – Love this!
As Beverly Hills is my old stomping-grounds I felt no need to go galivanting with a map and guide. Instead, I met up with a local gal-pal and walked and talked through “The Flats”. The vast, tree lined streets, between Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevards, sprawling with gorgeously manicured lawns and architectural wonders, is one of my favorite strolls. It’s a refreshing change from my usual eastside stair streets that climb to downtown views over Elysian Park. For the included fitness session, I chose some private training in The Maybourne’s new state-of-the-art gym.
The Spa at The Maybourne Beverly Hills is the perfect place to surrender the senses to a journey of rest, release, and inner peace. The serene immersion pool, under a sky-lit ceiling of soaring mosaics, is a modern-day version of ancient times when bathing was a ritual to be savored. Their steam showers are divine with hard pressure, soft water, and top of the line hair and body products. Whichever of their exceptional massage treatments you choose, a bespoke blend of oils and aromatics will relieve tension and awaken your spirit. Their range of facials and body treatments will brighten and balance using healing salts, soothing muds, and the most sophisticated anti-ageing creams, leaving your skin nourished and glowing. I opted for an “I Am Bliss” salt scrub. The full body exfoliating treatment speaks for itself.
With panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills, The Rooftop Pool at The Maybourne Beverly Hills is one of the city’s most breathtaking spots to relax and unwind. Whether you choose a chaise lounge in the sun, a private cabana, or a table in the shade, you can enjoy casual-sophisticated service from Dante Beverly Hills.
Dante, a 100-year-old Greenwich Village community café turned NYC hot spot, is now the toast of Beverly Hills. Though it’s a tough reservation to snag, hotel guests get first dibs on dinner. The guests-only patio section makes The Rooftop Pool at The Maybourne one of the most coveted lunch tables in the city. Dante’s seasonal salads and pizzas straight from their outdoor oven made this sometimes-jaded foodie girl giddy with joy. There is no other pool day in L.A. quite like it.
The Terrace Restaurant, overlooking the bustling lawns and fountains of Beverly Cañon Gardens, has the charm of a European piazza with Mediterranean inspired all-day dining. Menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner offer an abundance of choices celebrating the finest produce from California’s sea, valleys, and vines. House-made pastas are served alongside an array of salads and entrees to suit every palate. Meats and fish are sourced each day and fruit and vegetables are always farmers’ market fresh.
Beverly Cañon Gardens is an over 33,000 square feet communal haven in the heart of the city and the doorstep of The Maybourne Beverly Hills. Two walkways run between Beverly and Cañon Drives with plenty of fountain-side seating for morning coffee or a sunset refreshment. In the summer months, the Gardens has free “Concerts on Cañon” with live music every Thursday evening. Concertgoers set up picnics (you can order a gourmet basket from the hotel’s concierge) to enjoy performances of classic, soul, rock, jazz, Caribbean, or Brazilian music depending on the night. If you are game, like me, you can get up and dance with the crowd. The public Gardens is one of the reasons I love The Maybourne. I can escape up to my room or guests-only areas for some respite, but I can also choose to get down in the thick of it.
Location. Location. Location. The Maybourne Beverly Hills is perfectly situated in the heart of the Golden Triangle just a short stroll from Rodeo Drive. I know these shopping streets all too well. Though I like to visit Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Chanel, Cartier, David Yurman, Zadig & Voltaire, and Neiman Marcus, my accountant is glad I don’t live next door anymore. When I return from a shopping excursion, an ice cream cart welcomes me back with house made gelato and sorbet. It’s these sweet touches that, along with impeccable service, make The Maybourne so special. Come check out time I am already clocking my calendar for another free couple of days in the not-too-distant future to do it all again.
My Beverly Hills Courier “Rescue Dog of the Week” Missy, who has been with me over 10 years, greets me with barks and kisses when I arrive back home to the other hills. She has grown to tolerate my three street cats of Echo Park that found a home here before her. After a couple days of other worldly rest and retreat at The Maybourne, home, with Missy and the kitties, is where I want to be.
To book your Rest and Retreat at The Maybourne Beverly Hills visit: https://www.maybournebeverlyhills.com/special-offers/rest-and-retreat/
Photos of Kira at The Maybourne by Philip Macias for Modern Luxury